Various types of many of today's informat handling systems use what are referred to as processors as key elements thereof, many of which are currently manufactured and sold by the assignee of the present invention. In a typical such processor, particularly those referred to as mid-range types, the package structure includes a rack enclosure which functions to encase a plurality of electronic components such as direct access storage devices (DASD's), individual processor units including memory and logic circuit cards and associated board members, etc. Understandably, it is critical in such components that sound, effective electrical connections be achieved between the various elements thereof to assure proper operation of the overall system. It is also considered very important that effective means be provided for separating such connections, e.g., in the event of repair or replacement. One particular such connection which must meet this demanding criteria is between the card and/or associated board members and the corresponding electrical connectors which are to be coupled thereto when the cards and/or boards are fully positioned within the component's overall structure, e.g., rack enclosure.
Heretofore, a typical procedure for providing connections of the above type has been to directly insert a connector on the end of such a card or board into a mating connector located on a base member (a/k/a chassis) which in turn is securedly located within the rack enclosure. To assure effective "docking" (wherein the mating connectors are positively coupled), it is known to provide one of the connectors with some form of motion relative to the other to thereby compensate for possible misalignment due to one or both of the connectors being incorrectly positioned, e.g., as a result of tolerance accumulation during manufacture and/or assembly. Such motion has typically only been in one of two manners of direction, e.g., vertically and horizontally, in a plane perpendicular to the direction of card/board connector insertion. This connection scheme is considered unsatisfactory when attempting to couple associated pairs of selected card/board connectors aligned in substantially fixed alignment relative to each other with corresponding pairs of chassis connectors spacedly located from each other on the chassis. It is desired in some of today's computer components to utilize card and/or board structures wherein the cards and/or boards are fixedly oriented relative to each other to thus form a substantially rigid assembly, and to then locate this assembly, in total, within the receiving chassis and its associated electrical elements, including the aforementioned mating connectors.
As will be defined hereinbelow, the connector assembly of the present invention is capable of providing precise, effective connection between at least two pairs of card/board and associated mating connectors located within/on a chassis of a component, e.g., DASD, which in turn may form part of an information handling system (computer). It is to be understood, however, that the invention defined herein is not limited to such usage, as the invention can also be used to provide effective connections between many various types of connector pairs wherein the connectors in one of the pairs are substantially fixedly located relative to the other and wherein compensation is desired for possible misalignment of one or both of these.
It is believed that such a connector assembly, and an information handling system component using same, would constitute significant advancements in the art.